WHY CONSERVATIVE JOE ISN'T LIBERAL

WHY CONSERVATIVE JOE ISN’T LIBERAL

People sometimes ask me why I am a Conservative. They tell me that the Conservative Party is for big business, for corporate Canada, and that it doesn’t represent all Canadians.

Well, for the first statement, I obviously believe that one to be false. Many of the policies that the Conservative Party embrace do indeed help big business, but as a thinking man, I can see how that would help all Canadians, or at least the ones who seek employment, like myself. You cannot demonize, punish, and destroy big business and hope to have a prosperous country. Big business contributes more to this country than it’s opponents would have you believe. More on that another time.

The second statement was that the Conservative Party doesn’t represent all Canadians. To a certain extent, no political party represents all Canadians. They may claim to, but they cannot.

Let’s look at the NDP. They are a socialist party which wants to help everyone, even those who choose not to help themselves, and I am not referring to those who can’t. The NDP’s goal is wealth distribution, that is, take from the wealthy, give to the poor. It sounds as idealistic as the Sherwood Forest fables, but the circumstances are very different. The wealthy in this country are not the Sherriff of Nottingham, they are business men and women who contribute to our country in the form of employment and job creation. They contribute greatly to our standard of living. What the NDP seeks to do is to pit one economic class against another. They figure it is a winning strategy as there are more who are not wealthy than those who are. I may not be wealthy, but I don’t sit at home blaming someone else. They also claim to represent the downtrodden working man or woman, but who do you think will pay the cost of their agenda? You can’t tax the lazy. This party does not represent me.

Then there is the Liberal Party. This group may represent many, but they also cannot represent all. The liberal establishment believes that the government should stay out of people’s lives, but with each passing year of Liberal government, people are required to do less for themselves as the government keep reaching into our lives to take over another facet of it. To be fair, this isn’t all their fault. Canadians keep asking the government to do more, to give more, to be more. What they don’t understand is that we are going to end up solely dependant on government if we continue down this road. This is not what government was meant to be. The government now does so much, that the people would be lost if someone even suggested that it remove itself from certain areas, like health care, education, and soon, daycare. The Liberal government seeks to be everything to everyone. They do not represent my views.

The conservative view is quite different, and at one time was the expected norm. Canadians were expected to take care of themselves, clothe and feed themselves, to have children and raise them themselves, to support themselves, etc. With each generation of liberal government, Canadians grow less able to care for themselves, and they continue to vote liberal because it is easier, as not much of personal responsibility is expected of them.

At first, Canadians were made up of immigrating Europeans, who were hard working, honest, and who were willing to be responsible for themselves and for their actions. They were morally upstanding for the most part, and taught their children how to respect others, and to be honest. They taught honesty by example, and expected no less from their leaders.

These immigrants did something truly amazing. I am not talking about the blood, sweat, and tears it took to forge the land. I am talking about the spirit of hardwork, honesty, and faith that it took to forge a nation. A great nation. A nation that would be a magnet to the entire planet as a great place to live. A conservative nation. One with values such as I believe in and strive for. One with values that every Canadian should strive for; honesty, integrity, hardworking, moral character, fortitude. One that states that every individual should be accountable for his or her own actions and well being, without always blaming someone else for your shortcomings or hardships. This party represents me.

So the next time you hear that the Conservative movement wants to chain you inside of a church, know that it is not so. The next time that someone says that we have a hidden agenda, tell them that the only thing that has been hidden is the truth. The next time you hear that conservatives want to take away your rights, know that all we truly want is for you to live up to your responsibilities. That is not an awful thing, but a character trait that this country was founded upon. A country can only be great if it’s people are willing to be great first.